Shoe cleat construction

ABSTRACT

A shoe having one or more cleats rigidly secured to the outer surface thereof by adhesive. Each cleat includes integral shank and base portions of plastic or metal having depressions with the base portion positioned adjacent the shoe sole or heel.

0 United States Patent m1 3,638,337

Dollar, Jr. 1 Feb. 1, 1972 [54] SHOE CLEAT CONSTRUCTION 2,740,208 4/1956Dye ..36/59 R [72] Inventor: "a"! C. M", Jr. Mebane, N'Cl 2,274,559 2/1942 Nitkey ..36/67 C [73] Assignee: Econo-Kleat Company, IncorporatedPrimary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson Fned: y Attorney-Dav! Rabin [2]]Appl. No.: 38,042 57 ABSTRACT A shoe having one or more cleats rigidlysecured to the outer 3 '3"? A surface thereof by adhesive. Each cleatincludes integral [58] Field 0 Search 36/67 R 67 C 59 R shank and baseportions of plastic or metal having depressions 5 with the base portionpositioned adjacent the shoe sole or heel.

[56] References Cited 8 cl I 9mm Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,922,9248/1933 Bird 11/ 7 A' PATENTEU FEB! i872 FIG.2

FIG.5

FIG.6

INVENTOR HARRY c. DOLLAR,JR.

attorney SHOE CLEAT CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND, BRIEF SUMMARY AND OBJECT SOF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to athletic shoes andmore particularly to shoe cleats or calks adapted to be positioned ongolf, football and baseball shoes or upon a wearer's ordinary shoe.

The mounting of conventional cleats on a shoe with substantial rigidityto prevent angular displacement from the normal axes has presentedproblems since they are difficult to install and replace. In someinstances, cleats have been secured to shoes by securing a cleat headbetween the inner and outer soles of a shoe, by securing the cleat to asole by screws or nails, or by positioning a cleat within a holdersecured to a shoe by various means.

Briefly, the present invention relates to inexpensive cleats of variousforms that can be conveniently and rigidly attached to a shoe sole orheel. The cleats have face portions with depressions or recesses thereinfor receiving a suitable contact adhesive thereon for attaching thecleats to ordinary shoes or athletic shoes. The cleats may be fonned ofsuitable materials such as metal, plastic or rubber.

A primary object of the invention is the provision of a novel cleat thatmay be readily applied to any shoe by means involving no modification ofthe shoe structure.

Another object of the invention is to secure cleats to shoes in a mannerwhich will not interfere with the normal flexibility of the shoe.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of cleats thatmay be readily removed for replacement in the event of excessive wear orfor converting the cleated shoes to ordinary shoes.

An important feature of the invention is the provision of a cleat whichis relatively inexpensive to produce and which may be readily affixed toand subsequently removed from the shoe sole without damage thereto.

Another feature of the invention is a means for conveniently attaching acleat to a shoe in a fixed position against accidental dislodgment.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparentduring the course of the following detailed description.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a shoe equipped with cleats inaccordance with my invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the shoe of FIG. 1 illustrating thearrangement of the cleats secured to the sole of the shoe;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of one embodiment of a cleat drawn to alarger scale;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cleat of FIG. 3 taken along 4-4;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a modified embodiment of a cleat drawn to alarger scale;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of still another modified embodiment of the cleat;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the cleat of FIG. 7 taken along line8-8; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the cleat ofFIGS. 3 and 4 illustrating the adhesive means for securing the cleat toa shoe sole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, referencenumeral 10 designates a conventional shoe having a plurality of cleats12 secured thereto. The shoe includes a flexible sole l4 and heel 16having relatively smooth outer surfaces for receiving the cleats 12.

Each cleat 12 includes an elongated shank l7 and an enlarged base member18 integral therewith. While the configurations of the shank and basemember may vary considerably, preferably they are generally circular.The base member comprises a generally flat face portion 20 for engagingthe shoe sole 14 and an intermediate, generally frustoconical portion 22for interconnecting the face portion 20 and the shank 17. It is to benoted that any load on the shank 17 will be transferred to the sole ofthe shoe through the face portion 20 of the base.

To facilitate securing of the cleats 12 to the sole 14, the face portionof each cleat is provided with a plurality of depressions. In theembodiment illustrated by FIGS. 3 and 4, the metal cleat has a pluralityof circular depressions 24 provided therein.

To secure the cleat to a shoe, contact adhesive 23 is spread generouslyon the cleat face 20 and in the depressions 24. The cleat 20 is placedon the shoe sole 14 in the correct position and moved slightly to evenlydistribute the adhesive. The cleat then is removed away from the solethus exposing the adhesive to the air. After approximately thirtyseconds the cleat is pressed firmly back into place on the shoe sole.Prior to securing the cleat to the sole, the sole areas for receivingthe cleats must be sandpapered to provide a clean, dry surface free fromoil, wax and grease.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a modified embodiment of the cleat comprisingan integral shank 26 and base member 28 formed of plastic material. Theface portion 30 includes a plurality of depressions 32 forming rings anda centralized depression 34 positioned above the shank 26.

FIGS. 7 and 8 disclose another modified embodiment of the plastic cleatincluding a shank 36 and a base 38. The base face portion 40 has ashallow circular depression 42 and a deeper centralized depression 44formed therein. Note that the base 38 tapers to a feather edge 46adjacent the face portion.

The cleats illustrated by FIGS. 5 and 6 and FIGS. 7 and 8 would besecured to a shoe by suitable adhesive in the manner described above.The contact adhesive, which may be of various suitable types, will causethe cleats to adhere strongly to the shoe sole and/or heel.

The cleats of FIGS. 3-8 may be provided with tungsten carbide tips toprolong the wear thereof. The tips may be secured to the cleat shanks bysleeve members or other suitable means.

I claim:

1. A shoe having a flexible sole, a series of cleats on the outersurface of said sole, each cleat of said series of cleats including abase member and a shank extending therefrom, said base member includinga flat face portion, having a plurality of depressions therein, abuttingsaid sole outer surface and a portion connecting said face portion andsaid shank, and means intermediate said face portion and said sole andwithin said depressions for rigidly securing said face portion to saidsole.

2. A shoe as defined in claim 1, said means for rigidly securing saidface portion and said sole comprising adhesive.

3. A shoe as defined in claim 1, wherein said face portion has aplurality of concentrically spaced depressions formed therein forreceiving said securing means.

4. A shoe as defined in claim 1, wherein said shank is integral withsaid base member.

5. A shoe as defined in claim 1, said shank being of a cylindricalconfiguration and said portion interconnecting said face portion andsaid shank being of a generally frustoconical configuration.

6. A cleat for attaching to the sole of a shoe comprising, a base memberand a shank extending therefrom, said base member including a relativelyflat face portion for engaging the sole and a tapered intermediateportion interconnecting said face portion and said shank, and means forfacilitating securement of said face portion to the sole including aplurality of depressions formed in said face portion.

7. A cleat as defined in claim 6, said shank being of a cylindricalconfiguration and said intermediate portion being of a generallyfrustoconical configuration.

8. A cleat as defined in claim 6, wherein said means for facilitatingsecurement of said face portion to a sole includes a plurality ofconcentrically spaced depressions formed in said face portion.

1. A shoe having a flexible sole, a series of cleats on the outersurface of said sole, each cleat of said series of cleats including abase member and a shank extending therefrom, said base member includinga flat face portion, having a plurality of depressions therein, abuttingsaid sole outer surface and a portion connecting said face portion andsaid shank, and means intermediate said face portion and said sole andwithin said depressions for rigidly securing said face portion to saidsole.
 2. A shoe as defined in claim 1, said means for rigidly securingsaid face portion and said sole comprising adhesive.
 3. A shoe asdefined in claim 1, wherein said face portion has a plurality ofconcentrically spaced depressions formed therein for receiving saidsecuring means.
 4. A shoe as defined in claim 1, wherein said shank isintegral with said base member.
 5. A shoe as defined in claim 1, saidshank being of a cylindrical configuration and said portioninterconnecting said face portion and said shank being of a generallyfrustoconical configuration.
 6. A cleat for attaching to the sole of ashoe comprising, a base member and a shank extending therefrom, saidbase member including a relatively flat face portion for engaging thesole and a tapered intermediate portion interconnecting said faceportion and said shank, and means for facilitating securement of saidface portion to the sole including a plurality of depressions formed insaid face portion.
 7. A cleat as defined in claim 6, said shank being ofa cylindrical configuration and said intermediate portion being of agenerally frustoconical configuration.
 8. A cleat as defined in claim 6,wherein said means for facilitating securement of said face portion to asole includes a plurality of concentrically spaced depressions formed insaid face portion.